Don Young Makes a Fool of Himself Again

Alaska’s lone Congressman Don Young – who, when not making racist remarks to reporters or getting caught up in scandals, is usually busy doing nothing in Congress. I’m pretty sure at this point the Democrats on the national scene have decided to just let him keep the seat because he’s a fantastic fundraiser for them.

Most of the time it’s one of the lefty blogs that catches him being… well, Don Young. This time it was the relatively right of center Daily Caller. Here’s the title of the piece that they wrote this week.

Congressman Yucks It Up On House Floor Amid Naming Of Post Office For Fallen Soldier

Feeling that Alaskan pride? Proud of the one guy that we send to Congress every year for the past… How long has it been? Oh yeah, 41 years.

He stuck his fingers in his ears and made funny faces, much like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble on The Flintstones. Post office namings, as you might imagine, are not terribly exciting legislative moments in Washington.

Rep. Garrett was commemorating the death of Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine. D’Augustine was killed in Afghanistan 2 weeks before his sisters wedding. According to the New York Post he died, “while on a combat operation in the dangerous Helmand province.” Young served his country in the Army, so it seems that he should know better. The Congressman’s spokesman said, “The House cameras caught Congressman Young in a light-hearted moment interacting with a colleague… and he clearly meant no disrespect.” The cameras “caught” Young? This was not some undercover sting. This was in open session, honoring a man that fought and died in a war that Congressman Young voted for.

So, did he not realize what was going on right next to him? Is his hearing that bad at this point? It seems to me that it’s time Young retired. Or, let’s be more active about it as the Anchorage Daily News printed yesterday:

Don Young’s shenanigans and outbursts have made Alaska politics a national media punchline. After 41 years in the House he has no more power than a freshman legislator, and every year is more beholden to corporate lobbyists than the citizens he claims to represent. On top of that, he has been ignoring the citizens for 20 years by not giving his “best effort” to get term limits passed by Congress.

Alaskan voters by a nearly 2-1 margin supported term limits for Congress in 1994. We have another opportunity to restore integrity to our great state by enacting a “term limit” this November. It’s up to us to retire Don Young, it’s clear he’ll never retire himself.

I didn’t even see coverage of the latest idiocy from Don Young in the Alaska media (I could be wrong), which shows at this point we just shake our heads and say ‘Oh, Don” like he’s our crazy racist Uncle we can’t get rid of, because you know, he’s family. Well, Don Young is not family just because he’s been living on our dime for the past 40 years – he’s Alaska’s sole representative in a body of government. That’s something we should care about, if for no other reason than he represents US. Every time he’s re-elected it makes a statement that we’re all ok with him saying things like ‘wetback,’ or making goofy faces on the house floor while the dead are being honored. For once I’m recommending that someone take a bit of advice from our former Governor Sarah Palin – do like she did – just quit.

Alaska, I’m pleading with you let’s not get… what’s the phrase? What was it that President Bush said?

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Side note: I don’t want to politicize the Staff Sergeant’s memory – I just find the way that Young treats his job in Congress despicable – especially when he is the only member of Congress that we have.

While researching this story I came across a memorial fund set up by his family. The money goes to a “scholarship to one male graduating senior and one female graduating senior who exemplify the highest standards of citizenship through strong character and dedication to community service.”

Comments

Of course Young clearly meant disrespect. That is what acting disrespectfully means. Unless his spokesperson is saying Don Young doesn’t think while representing Alaska in the House. In which case he is disrespecting Alaskans.

If the majority of Alaskan voters who keep re-electing Don Young have no greater expectation of their representative than he’s of their party and espouses most of their values, then they have in Don Young a representative who suits their needs and desires.